Lee Crothers

I’m an Occupational Therapist and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) practitioner, supervisor, and trainer with over thirty years’ experience in public mental health and private practice. I’ve learnt a lot from the clients, colleagues, and teams I’ve worked with, and the OT in me keeps my approach creative, practical, and humanistic.

I was introduced to CAT in 2003 when Orygen Youth Health supported visiting UK CAT practitioners. I was supervised by a UK supervisor via early teleconference phone (old fashioned hey?) and went on to become one of the first CAT supervisors and trainers in Australia. I helped develop the first Australian CAT Practitioner Course at Orygen and now run an online version to make CAT more accessible across Australia and neighbouring countries, while keeping it “in dialogue” through live catch-ups and reflective groups.

Alongside clinical work, I contribute to professional development through training, supervision, and consultation, both in Australia and internationally. I’ve held roles supporting practice development in large organisations, regularly consult to teams, and enjoy co-creating practice change within complex systems. I co-edited the book (with Dr Nick Barnes) ‘Working Relationally with Young People: A Cognitive Analytic Approach to Connecting One to One, with Families and Across Communities’

I’m passionate about CAT taking root in Australia in a way that fits our systems, cultures, and contexts, and that is mindful of our history as a colonised country. I co-direct In Dialogue Practice and Relate & Reflect, where I work clinically and provide training, supervision, and consultation to individuals, teams, and organisations.

I currently serve on the Executive of ANZACAT and ICATA and remain committed to growing CAT in Australia and making relational work more visible, sustainable, and accessible.

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